Can someone analyze this?

This was a game I never saw a chance to win.

Game 3047297

I had to have made positional blunders as I see no outward ones. Any comments? I want to know how I could have won. Maybe run it through an engine?

18 Nc4...to 19Nb6 was the biggest mistake in my opinion. Sacrificing a valuable bishop + knight for an unused rook was a blunder.

Originally posted by Ramned
This was a game I never saw a chance to win.

Game 3047297

I had to have made positional blunders as I see no outward ones. Any comments? I want to know how I could have won. Maybe run it through an engine?

18 Nc4...to 19Nb6 was the biggest mistake in my opinion. Sacrificing a valuable bishop + knight for an unused rook was a blunder.

I played through it quickly untill your 19th move struck me.How about 19.Bb6 kicking Black's queen into a rather poor position,then you can retreat your bishop to a4 since there's no longer a b5 pawnfork.Black's e-pawn is hanging and will probably be lost,your passed d-pawn is a great asset and Black's forces are very badly placed.Looks good enough to me 😀

Not really an analyses but it's pretty much all I can do.Judging by your rating you're much better than me so you probably already saw everything I would be able to spot 🙂

The thing that struck me the most was your pawn structure. In the middle game you were pushing alot of pawns. After they got traded off you had no advantage and many weak pawns to defend. You king was also very open and weak. I would have not pushed the F pawn and castled. Trading the two minor pieces for a rook was the big glaring weakness. After the queens were traded off you were lost, your pawns weren't going anywhere and and a good player will use the two minor pieces to dominate a rook.

Originally posted by ouwe belg
I played through it quickly untill your 19th move struck me.How about 19.Bb6 kicking Black's queen into a rather poor position,then you can retreat your bishop to a4 since there's no longer a b5 pawnfork.Black's e-pawn is hanging and will probably be lost,your passed d-pawn is a great asset and Black's forces are very badly placed.Looks good enough to me : ...[text shortened]... u're much better than me so you probably already saw everything I would be able to spot 🙂

That is indeed better. I think I simply missed it 🙄

Originally posted by hammster21
The thing that struck me the most was your pawn structure. In the middle game you were pushing alot of pawns. After they got traded off you had no advantage and many weak pawns to defend. You king was also very open and weak. I would have not pushed the F pawn and castled. Trading the two minor pieces for a rook was the big glaring weakness. After the que ...[text shortened]... weren't going anywhere and and a good player will use the two minor pieces to dominate a rook.

Yeah my king was exposed too much. That and having "blundered" the B+N for R I think topped it off.

I like 19 Bb6. What would some lines be from there?

6.Nf3 loses a pawn (2 move blunder).

I think by move 18 the position slightly favours Black.
White position pro: pass d-pawn, semi-open f-file to work with, the c-pawn that needs pushing, Black has problems with his light squared bishop.

White position con: g3-pawn create weakness, e4 pawn needs defending and White pieces are not coordinated

18.Nc4 tactical mistake...allows Black to gain material. the N is needed to defend e4.

i suggest 0-0 , Rc1 and maybe doubling rook and queen on c-file (?) and pushing the c-pawn. You also need at some stage involve putting rook on the f-file and then attacking the f-file. since black has moved his king pawns, there are weakness on f6.

i think an engine might melt if youi tried to run this game through it. maybe you should try going over it yourself. there are plenty of tactical mistakes as well at the postiional ones you speak of.

1.e4 Nc6 is the Nimzowitsch Defense. I am surprised that a high rated player actually uses it. Before discussing the positional blunders, let's discuss what Black intends to do.

2.d4 e5 3.d5 Ne7 4.Nc3 Since Black is behind in development, he/she wants to close the center. However, Black needs to develop the dark-squared bishop, hence the following move

4...Ng6
5.Bc4 is bad, since the bishop does not belong here. I would put on d3, eyeing the f5 square, or wait that Black commits d6 to check the king on Bb5, since you are more than willing to trade your bishop, which is less valuable than his bishop in this variation, or maybe Be2, preventing any pin on a knight on f3. Although not tested, 5.Nce2! seems better.
On one hand, your knight won't be pinned. If Black's dark-squared bishop settles on c5, you can advance you queenside pawns to gain more space with tempo by hitting the bishop.
On other hand, 5.Nce2 supports the advance f4, which is nicely followed by Nf3. You don't mind blocking your white-squared bishop, since it is you who has the initiative. Besides, f4 threatens f5 attacking the knight @ g6 and blocking Black's white-squared bishop.

After all this, you now have a way to punish Black's lag in development.

it's strange. your rating is 1718 and you saw no blunders or where you went wrong at all! That's pretty amazing.

Originally posted by badivan1
1.e4 Nc6 is the Nimzowitsch Defense. I am surprised that a high rated player actually uses it.

I have seen IM using this opening.

P.S. I`ll give some analysis of this game later when I will have more time for it.

Originally posted by Viscovery
6.Nf3 loses a pawn (2 move blunder).

I think by move 18 the position slightly favours Black.
White position pro: pass d-pawn, semi-open f-file to work with, the c-pawn that needs pushing, Black has problems with his light squared bishop.

White position con: g3-pawn create weakness, e4 pawn needs defending and White pieces are not coordinated

18 ...[text shortened]... e and then attacking the f-file. since black has moved his king pawns, there are weakness on f6.

how is Nf3 losing a pawn ?

Originally posted by vipiu
how is Nf3 losing a pawn ?

sorry meant to say 6.Nf3 is a mistake because White is forced to double pawns or lost a pawn as shown in the game. e4 is undefended because of the pin

Originally posted by Ramned
Yeah my king was exposed too much. That and having "blundered" the B+N for R I think topped it off.

I like 19 Bb6. What would some lines be from there?

Crafty says: 19. Bb6 Qf8 20. Ba4 Nexd5 21. exd5 Qb4+ picking up the a4-bishop, =+

I think 18. Nc4 was the start of a wrong plan. You had all the assets in the situation before that move, like the bishop pair, a protected passed pawn, more space etc. So why not consolidate it with a move like castling kingside?
Sample line:
18. O-O Bh3 19. Rfc1 Nc8 20. c4 Nd6 21. c5 Nxb5 22. Qxb5
White is obviously better here.

Originally posted by coquette
it's strange. your rating is 1718 and you saw no blunders or where you went wrong at all! That's pretty amazing.

Actually I did see blunders when I looked at it. - 18 Kc4 was the biggest blunderous intention. I did miss quite a few positional blunders though.

Originally posted by schakuhr
Crafty says: 19. Bb6 Qf8 20. Ba4 Nexd5 21. exd5 Qb4+ picking up the a4-bishop, =+

I think 18. Nc4 was the start of a wrong plan. You had all the assets in the situation before that move, like the bishop pair, a protected passed pawn, more space etc. So why not consolidate it with a move like castling kingside?
Sample line:
18. O-O Bh3 19. Rfc1 Nc8 20. c4 Nd6 21. c5 Nxb5 22. Qxb5
White is obviously better here.

Your line is much better (except 21 Nxb5, you must've mislooked.) I completely missed castling to attack f6 altogether 😞